Method and Apparatus for Using Statistical Process Control Within a Storage Management System

1. A computer-implemented method of analyzing backup performance comprising: creating, using a computer, a statistical model for a plurality of samples of at least one backup parameter obtained from information backed up from at least one server to the computer; determining a norm of said statistical model; wherein the norm defines statistical distribution probability for at least one of a 1a, 2a or 3a points; comparing a subsequently measured sample of said at least one backup parameter to the norm to produce a comparison value; and using the comparison value as an indicia of backup performance for backups from the at least one sever to the computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said statistical model forms a normal distribution.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said creating step further comprises collecting a statistically significant number of samples.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicia of backup performance indicates when a fault has occurred in a backup process.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters comprise at least one of media errors, media error rates, device errors, device error rates, device backup rates, equipment capacities, total backup sizes, backup size trends, capacity utilization, operation errors, and operation error rates.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing a plurality of comparison values before producing an indicia of backup performance.

7. A computer-implemented method of determining fault occurrence in a backup process comprising: creating, using a computer, a normal distribution for a plurality of samples of a backup parameter obtained from information backed up from at least one server to the computer; determining a norm of said normal distribution; wherein the norm defines statistical distribution probability for at least one of a 1a, 2a or 3a points; comparing a subsequently measured sample of said backup parameter to the norm to produce a comparison value; and if the comparison value indicates that the subsequently measured sample exceeds the norm, indicating that a fault has occurred in the backup process, if not, the sample parameter is within the norms.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said creating step further comprises collecting a statistically significant number of samples.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising analyzing a plurality of comparison values before producing an indicia of backup performance.

10. Apparatus for analyzing backup performance comprising: means for creating, using a computer, a statistical model for a plurality of samples of at least one backup parameter; means for determining a norm of said statistical model; wherein the norm defines statistical distribution probability for at least one of a 1a, 2a or 3a points; means for comparing a subsequently measured sample of said at least one backup parameter to the norm to produce a comparison value; and means for using the comparison value as an indicia of backup performance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said statistical model forms a normal distribution.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means for creating further comprises means for collecting a statistically significant number of samples.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the indicia of backup performance indicates when a fault has occurred in a backup process.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the parameters comprise at least one of media errors, media error rates, device errors, device error rates, device backup rates, equipment capacities, total backup sizes, backup size trends, capacity utilization, operation errors, and operation error rates.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising means for analyzing a plurality of comparison values before producing an indicia of backup performance.